The present invention broadly relates to an apparatus for collecting folded printed sheets or the like.
In its more specific aspects the present invention relates to a new and improved construction of apparatus for collecting folded printed sheets and which apparatus is of the type comprising an endless revolving collecting conveyor adapted to take-up each printed sheet in a straddling fashion or configuration, there also being provided a number of infeed means or infeeders arranged along the collecting conveyor, each such infeed means containing a delivery region opening towards or merging with the collecting conveyor.
Generally, such apparatus forms a component of a collective stitching means or of an automatic three-knife trimmer and is arranged forwardly of the actual stitching or trimming apparatus, as the case may be.
In a known apparatus of such type the folded printed sheets to be collected or collated are each individually removed from a related stack, so that the fold forms the trailing edge of the removed printed sheet. The printed sheet is then fed to the collective conveyor in such a way that the fold of the printed sheet is positioned in the conveying direction of the collecting conveyor either upon a conjointly running chain or upon a stationary rail. In the latter case driven entrainment members advance the printed sheet along the rail. The collecting conveyor of the known apparatus thus is comparable to a running "washing line" containing printed sheets which are advanced in spaced relationship from each other.
Due to the subsequent processing or working operation (stitching or trimming) the sets of collected printed sheets thus obtained may not overlap like, for example, in the stream of an imbricated product formation leaving a rotary printing printing press. The rate of advancement or feed velocity of the collecting conveyor in the known apparatus must be comparatively high even if the output of the rotary printing press is intended to be only approximately handled. Such a high feed velocity or rate of advancement of the collecting conveyor is opposed by the circumstance that the infeed means, i.e., the so-called "feeders" in the known apparatus, have an infeed direction which extends more or less at right angles to the advancement direction of the collecting conveyor. The printed sheets thus experience a sudden change in their direction of movement during transfer from the infeed means to the collecting conveyor which will be that much more disastrous for the printed sheets the higher the conveying velocity of the infeed means and the feed velocity of the collecting conveyor. In the prior art apparatus of this type there are thus set relatively modest upper limits for the velocity of the infeed means and that of the collecting conveyor which hardly suffice to handle the output of a rotary printing press.
This may also be the reason why in the known apparatus the printed sheets are removed individually from a stack. The printed sheets, therefore, have to be initially stacked after leaving the rotary printing press in order that afterwards they can again be individually removed from such stacks.